Chain grate stoker



2 Sheets-Sheet l Mg* ORNEY ,/./'1N\'/ENTOR 194,1. w. LLOYD CHAIN GRATE sToKER Original Filed May 5, 1959 .all 8 March 4,

March 4, 1941. w LLOYD CHAIN GRATE STOKER Original Filed May 5, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 jig/16 iNVENTOR #J7/zam lloyd Patented Mar. 4, 1941 UNITED STATES CHAIN GRATE s'roKER William Lloyd, NewYork, N; Y.',a;ssignor .to Com` bustion Engineering Company,- In'c., New York,

original application May 5, 1939, serial Na. v 271,859. Divided and this applicaton'octob'er- Y 31, 1939,l seriaLNo. 302,231

2 Claims.

The grate is driven from sprockets at the front' of the stoker and extends over idler sprockets at thev rear.

A feature of the invention resides in a 'construction' of chain grate which permits removal of a number of grate links in order to afford access to parts beneath the grate without requiring the employment of apparatus to hold those portions of the grate between which a section has been removed.

The invention will be best understood upon consideration of the followingv detailed description andthe appended claims when read in conjunction with accompanying drawingsin which:

Fig. l is a fragmentary view partly. in section taken transversely of a chain grate embodying the present invention and shows lthe improved meansl for interconnecting and driving the grate links.

Fig. 2 is a View on the line 2-2 inrFig. 1.

Figs. 3, 4, 5, and 6 illustrate modications of the improved means for interconnecting andv driving the grate links to form the endless grate.

Fig. rI is a sectional view on the linel'I--l in Fig. 4.

Fig. 8 is a sectional View through the grate, looking downwardly as indicated by the section line 8 8, in Fig, 1, and shows the manner in which the rest of the grate remains connected together upon removal of some of the grate links to afford access to parts of the stoker beneath the grate.

Fig. 9 is a view similar to Fig. 8 showing how the grate remains connected when drive links constructed as illustrated in Figs. 4 and 7 are employed. 'f

Referring to the drawings, driving sprockets I0 at the front of the stoker and idler sprockets (not shown) at the rear are provided for `advancing the fuel supporting surface of the grate towards the rear to feed fuel through the furnace. The grate is in the form of an endless, belt-like conveyor made up of a plurality of rectangular grate links I3 disposed with their longitudinal axes in the direction of grate movement, the links being connected to each other and to chains of driving links located at points spaced transversely of the grate as described hereafter. The

grate links are arranged in end to end and side' also staggered with respect to each other although this relation is not essential.

The vgrate links I3` are formed with transverse apertures 33 near each end.v With the links in staggeredv relation apertures at opposite ends of adjacent linksvare in aline'ment so that rods 32 may' be passed therethrough to interconnect the links, a transverse row made'up of laterally alined linksvbeing mounted on a pair vof rods )each of which also connects; with oneend of links in the preceding or following"transverse row'. In addition to interconnecting links to form a continuous surface the.rods32 also serve to connec't the links I3 to' chains of driving links which are' located at pointsspaced transversely of the grate. There is a driving chain at or near each edge and, if' desired, other chains may be formed as described hereafter andv provided vat intermediate points also. K

To form these chains drive links 34,35 (Fig. 1) are mountedv parallel to each otherv in pairs and spaced laterally; Near each y end thereof the links 34, 35 have transverse apertures 36 receiving hollow sleeves 31 for interconnecting the links of each pair, these linksbeing secured to the two` sleeves by peening, welding or in other suitable manner. The pairs of drive links 34, 35 in a chain are spaced apart in aline'ment longitudinally of the grate as indicated at 34A, 35A and 34B, 35B, Fig. 8. Other drive links 40 extend between and join each 'successive pairof drive links to fori'n an endless chain. Each linky 40 is also transversely apertured near its end in order to loosely mount it on the sleeve at one end of a pair 4of links 34A, 35A and on thegsimilar sleeve at the adjacent end of the preceding or following pair of links 34B, 33B. The end portions of the links 4U lie intermediate the links The intermediate links 40 4are loosely mounted on the sleeves 31 so as to accommodate the canting of the links that/occurs as the chain passes around the drive sprockets" as' illustrated in Fig. 2.

The chain may, if desired, be made up of longitudinally alined links 34 tted `with laterally projecting hollow sleeves 3l at each end and interconnected by links 40, the arrangement thus eliminating the other link 35 of each pair. However, the use of both links 34 and 35 is preferred since this results in a more substantial construction.

The sleeves 3l are hollow'for the purpose of receiving the rods 32 thereby supporting the grate links I3 that are Vcarried on and interconnected by the rods. The drive links 34, 35 and 4I) have lateral flanges 4I along one upper sideedge. The flanges of the `links 34, 43' face each other with 'the' result that space is provided in which to mount a roller 42 o'n-the sleevev3l for engagement by the teeth of the sprockets I0, II

in order to impart movement to the drive chain and grate links I3. 'Ihe flange 4I on the link faces the link 40 and overlies a hub or boss 43, which provides a more adequate bearing surface between the link 35 and the sleeve 31 than afforded by the thickness of the links. I

In the form shown in Fig. 3 the intermediate link 40A has a hub portion 44 extending toward the outer link 34 and underlying the flanges 4Il on links 34 and 40. The hub 44also provides a large bearing surface between the link 40A and the sleeve 31. In this form the hub y44 also is engageable by the sprockets I0, II to drive the chain.

Fig. 5 shows two intermediate links 40B employed between a pair of drive links 34, 35 with the driving roller 42 beneath their opposed flanges 4|. All drive links 34, 35, and 40B are loosely mounted on the sleeves 31 and-held in place by nuts 45 threaded on the ends of the sleeves.

The construction shown in Fig. 6 includes a pair of parallel drive links 34, 35 and an inter` mediate link 40C as in Fig. il, but here one drive link, as 35, is welded to the sleeve 31 while th other is held in place by a nut 45.

In all of the forms described above the drive links 34, 35 interconnected as pairs by sleeves 31 and the links 40, 40A etc. that joint successive pairs of drive links 34, 35 to form an endless chain all function as grate elements because they have fuel supporting surfaces 3| as do the grate links I3. However, in the form shown in Figs. 4 and '1 only the drive links 34,35 are elements of the grate surface, the pairs of drive links34, 35 being joined by strap links 46. Another difference in this form is that the pair of drive links 34, 35 lie closely adjacent each other and the strap links 46 leading to a preceding or following pair are on the outside of the assembly. The links 34, 35 and 46 are loosely mounted on the sleeve 31 and held in place by nuts 45. The grate links I 3A immediately adjacent the drive chain have lateral flanges 48 along their upper side edges and facing the chain so as to overlie and protect thestrap links 46 of the drive chain. AA .drive chain is made up of a series of links that may be considered to be permanently connected together to form the endless driving chain. It will be recalled that the rods 32 carrying the grate links I3 are removably received inthe hollow sleeves 31 forming part of the chains at or near the sides of the grate as illustrated in Figs. 8 and 9, or at an intermediate location as indicated in Figs. 6, '7, and 9. When several rods 32 are removed endwise and the grate links I 3 through which these rods extended are taken out of the grate surface access may be had to parts of the stoker therebeneath. The remaining grate links I 3v remain fully supported from the drive chains through the intermediaryl of the unremoved rods 32 extending into the related hollow sleeve 31 that forms part of the drive chains. Because the drive chains are not broken or opened up the rods 32 in which they v.have been taken out remain fully supported in the related sleeves 31 of the chain and consequently they continue to support grate links I3 through which they extend. The two rods 32 bordering the margin of the opening extend In Fig. 8 it is assumed that several transverse rows of grate links lying between the drive chains have been' removed. In this ligure the drive chains are assumed to be made up of drive links of the forms illustrated in Figs. 1, 2, or 6. Fig.

`13 represents the removal of several rowsk of grate links when employing the drive link construction illustrated in Fig. 4.

'Ihis application is a division of that filed in my name under Serial No. 271,859 on May 5, 1939.

What I claim is:

1. In a travelling grate having at each of a plurality of points spaced transversely lthereof a seriesI of drive links arranged in spaced relation* withtheir longitudinal axes disposed in the direction of grate movement and spaced apart in end to end relation, each link being formed near each end thereof with a transverse aperture; hollow sleeves fitted in said apertures of each link and extending from one side of the latter; other similarly disposed drive links formed near each end thereof with transverse apertures for flttingthem on a sleeve at one end of one of said first drive links and on the sleeve at the adjacent end of a following or preceding rst mentioned drive link for connecting all drive links of a series to form-an endless chain; grate links arranged in side by side and end to end relation with their longitudinal axes disposed in the direction of grate movement between said chains of drive links to form a fuel supporting surface., each grate link being formed with longitudinally spaced apertures in alinement with like apertures of other grate links located laterally thereof; and rods extending through apertures in a plurality of laterally spaced grate links and extending through the apertured sleeves carried by drive links of said chain to support said grate links therefrom.

2. In'a travelling grate; a plurality of links with their longitudinal axes disposed in the direction of grate movement and arranged in side by side and end to end relation to form a grate having air passages between the ends and sides of adjacent links, each link being formed with longitudinally spaced transverse apertures, means for interconnecting said links to form an endless fuel supporting surface comprising: a chain of drive links at each of a plurality of points spaced transversely of the grate, each chain comprising a number of links disposed with their longitudinal axes in the direction of grate movement and spaced apart in er1-d to end relation, each link being formed near each end thereof with a transverse aperture; hollow sleeves fitted in the transverse apertures in said links and projecting from one side thereof; other similarly disposed drive links each formed near each end thereof with a transverse aperture for journalling it on a sleeve at one end of one of said rst links and on the sleeve at the adjacent end of the next link of said chain for interconnecting said -drive links in endless series; and transverse rods spaced longitudinally of the grate in accordance with the spacing of the'apertures in said grate links and extending transversely of the grate through said apertures in a plurality of said grate links and into sleeves carried by drive links in several chains spaced transversely of the grate for supporting the plurality of grate links carried thereon from said drive links.

' WILLIAM LLOYD.

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